Bartow Mom Went to School Meeting With Guns, Drugs, Police Say

Wednesday

Mar 6, 2013 at 3:43 PMMar 7, 2013 at 1:38 AM

A parent of a Bartow Middle School student was arrested after showing up for a meeting with a gun tucked in her waistband and carrying a purse containing a stun gun and a bag of methamphetamine, police said.

By Clifford ParodyThe Ledger

BARTOW | A parent of a Bartow Middle School student was arrested Wednesday morning after showing up for a meeting in the guidance office with a gun tucked in her waistband and carrying a purse containing a stun gun and a bag of methamphetamine, police said.Bartow police Sgt. David Wyant said Lisa Palmes, 42, of Bartow, told officers that she didn't know she wasn't allowed to have a gun on the property."She had a concealed weapons permit, but when you get one of those permits it comes with a whole list of the rules," Wyant said. One of those rules prohibits carrying guns onto school campuses.Bartow Middle School Principal Angela Gordon said Palmes was on campus for a meeting in the guidance office with members of the staff."One of the teachers in the room saw the gun in the back waistband of her pants," she said. Gordon said the teacher alerted School Resource Officer Jason Griffith.Police said Griffith walked into the meeting, took the fully loaded .380-caliber handgun from Palmes' waistband, and escorted her to his office where he searched her purse. Inside he found "an electronic weapon commonly referred to as a stun gun, a plastic baggie containing a white powdery substance, a straw and a pill of tramadol hydrochloride," according to reports. Police said they later determined the powdery substance was methamphe-tamine.Gordon said Palmes did not seem angry during the meeting, and the atmosphere was very non-confrontational.Wyant said Palmes made a statement about being unhappy with the School Board, but did not say why and never made any threats. Gordon said the situation was handled extremely well by school faculty and Bartow police. "Kudos to the teacher that spotted it (the gun)," Gordon said. "We are training everybody that you have to always keep your eyes open."As of now, the school does not have signs at school entrances stating that no guns are allowed. "There are various bulletin boards throughout the school that say no guns, but they are directed at students, not parents," Gordon said. "With every new incident comes change."Gordon said new signs will be installed soon outside the school building.According to Assistant State Attorney Brian Haas, there's a list of places where you can't carry a concealed weapon. "There is a provision under Florida Law that allows certain individuals who qualify to carry a concealed firearm," Haas said. "In the same provision there is a list of places where the license does not authorize the person to carry a concealed weapon or firearm."Included in this list is "any elementary or secondary school or administration building," Haas said.Palmes was charged with three felonies: possession of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony; and possession of an electric weapon during the commission of a felony. She also faces three misdemeanor charges: possession of drug paraphernalia; violation of license to carry a concealed firearm; and possession of certain drugs without a prescrip-tion.She was being booked into the Polk County Jail on Wednesday evening.

[ Clifford Parody can be reached at clifford.parody@theledger.com or 863-802- 7516. ]